Scars That Heal (Dramione Fanfiction) [COMPLETE]

23 - Cracks

*Trigger Warning: Death*

After spending so long in the Hospital Wing Hermione had a lot of work she needed to catch up on, but none of her teachers were making it easy for her. Every single one she tried to speak to about catch-up work, or homework she'd missed, told her not to worry about it. They all felt she was strained, and needed to relax and think over her family instead of working to get her NEWTs. She was really struggling with her father's illness, and Hermione needed the work to be able to cope. It weighed on her mind so heavily that she needed something to cushion its fall, and burying herself in work always helped.

Hermione just needed some way to make everyone stop treading on eggshells around her. All the teachers were giving her longer deadlines, less homework and called on her less in classes, even when she had her hand up. It was infuriating. Just when she needed some extra work to distract her and make sure she didn't slip behind...

Thank goodness she had Seamus. He was more than happy to let Hermione see the work they had been doing before, and allowed her to try doing the homeworks the teachers wouldn't set her. Hermione wouldn't do Seamus' work for him, but she would write the essays he had to write, and see if she had something similar to him in terms of content. She had to keep practising, or she'd fail her NEWTs, and what would she do then?

She was on her way to the library one weekend when she met Malfoy. He was just leaving the library, and had a bundle of books in his arms.

"Hey, Granger," he said, offering her a smile. Hermione smiled back. "What are you up to?"

"Trying to find a book McGonagall mentioned. Something about the laws of interspecies transfiguration, and it sounded interesting so I thought I'd find it," she replied, turning around as they passed to carry on talking.

"I miss going to the Tower," Malfoy said abruptly. He looked as though he regretted it for a moment, but ploughed on anyway. "I mean, I miss properly being able to talk to you. It's kind of awkward at lunchtimes, and I just like being with you. I don't think your friends like me that much."

"They do!" Hermione said, standing with him by the wall. "Trust me. After I was out of the Hospital Wing, Dean kept telling me about this joke you made one lunch, and Luna's mentality is that if you're sorry, you should be forgiven."

"Oh, that's good." Malfoy gave a breathy laugh. "It's been a while since I've had people I can really rely on."

"Well, you've got me," Hermione said, smiling.

"Nah, you don't count. I mean nice people!" Malfoy teased, laughing as Hermione whacked his arm. "Hey! This is exactly what I mean!"

"Oh, sod off. We've helped each other enough times." Hermione grinned. "Well, I'm going to find my book, then. See you later."

"See you, Granger!" Malfoy called as he wandered off up the corridor. Hermione felt her mood lift. Malfoy always knew how to make her feel better, even if he didn't know it. She hunted around the library for a bit, and found her thoughts still drifting back to Malfoy. He was good. He was a good person, who had been forced to make bad choices. And he still felt bad. It was hardly surprising, really, because he was so afraid of himself and how he had behaved, but all the same... Malfoy was such a genuine person once the barrier was removed, and Hermione had very strong feelings that he could have been so confident, as he had been in younger times, if he hadn't been forced to obey the path his family wanted.

Hermione felt her mind drift, past her pleasant thoughts of Malfoy and her friends, and onto the things she was trying to push away. Her father. Her mother. Her sleep. Her dreams. Her grades. She was spiraling, and didn't know how to land on her feet. Hermione just couldn't let herself give in to all this. She had to rise above, and do better. There was nothing she could do to improve her father's condition, or her mother's. Hermione desperately wanted to help her father, and the only way she knew was to visit him. Since she had been initially summoned there she had visited twice more, but found it so hard. There was nothing to do, just sit there and listen to her father's mumbling. It didn't help him, and it certainly didn't help her. Sleep was something she had no control over, same for her dreams. Hermione could, however, work extra hard and get back up to speed on her class work.